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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. charge — in control
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — after costs
  5. charge — electricity
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. present — the time now
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. present — there
  21. net — for catching
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com